Funke Akindele urges youths to embrace hard work, skills acquisition

Nollywood actress and filmmaker Funke Akindele has urged Nigerian youths to abandon the get-rich-quick mentality and focus on hard work and skills acquisition.

Speaking in a recent interview, Akindele said she had opportunities to make money through questionable means but chose instead to work hard and build legitimate sources of income.

“I could have been wayward to earn a living but I decided to follow the right path,” she said.

The actress recalled selling bed spaces while studying at the University of Lagos in order to support herself, describing herself as someone shaped by years of hustling and discipline.

“I was selling bed spaces in Unilag so I could survive. I was hustling. I am a hustler,” she added.

Akindele advised young Nigerians not to rely solely on academic certificates but to develop practical and marketable skills that can provide income when job opportunities are limited.

“Skills acquisition is very important. As a young woman or man, you have to acquire skills so that when there is no job, you can use your skill to make money for yourself,” she said.

The filmmaker said her life experiences had made her determined to continue working and earning a living through legitimate means.